Fig. 3

Effects of prenatal dexamethasone exposure (PDE) on the fetal liver development and the levels of corticosterone (CORT) and insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF1). A Fetal body weight and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) rate (n = 8); (B) Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining of the fetal liver (Scale bar = 500 μm); (C) Ki67-stained nuclei and quantitative analysis (Scale bar = 500 μm); (D) The mRNA expression of hepatic development-related genes (n = 8); (E) Serum CORT level (n = 8); (F) Serum IGF1 level (n = 8); (G) The mRNA expression of IGF1 signaling pathway (n = 8). Mean ± S.E.M. ^* P < 0.05, ^** P < 0.01 vs. the control group. NS, no significance; PDE(L), prenatal dexamethasone exposure at a low dose (0.2 mg/kg∙d); PDE(H), prenatal dexamethasone exposure at a high dose (0.8 mg/kg∙d)